


A Mission Gone Awry

by ssj2DGray_Girl



Category: Astoria: Fate's Kiss (Visual Novel), Labyrinths of Astoria (Visual Novel), Lovestruck (Visual Novels)
Genre: Arianna is one of Cyprin's older sisters, Aura - Freeform, Cerberus isn't in this oneshot tho, Character Development?, Daughter of Aphrodite OC, Gen, Godly Artifacts, Godly Monsters, Kyra Calidan is the MC, Kyra and Cyprin are best friends, Kyra is different from the canon MC, Kyra swears a lot, Non-Canon Events, Oh yeah there are lots of swears, Oneshot, She's kind of rough around the edges, Technically Cerberus' Storyline, There is some violence and blood but it's not really graphic, Unrequited Crush, idk what this is supposed to be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 12:38:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15751827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssj2DGray_Girl/pseuds/ssj2DGray_Girl
Summary: Kyra Calidan is on her way to work at H.E.R.A. where there's a disturbance on the streets. Thought to be the work of an artifact, it results in a man being trapped in Kyra's phone. She brings the case to her boss, Alex Cyprin, also her childhood friend, but when their search turns up nothing, they make a call to their older sister. Turns out the artifact, a cube, was the center of a case that Arianna Cyprin worked many years back where agents were turned into cyber data and lost forever. Kyra and the two demigod siblings race to find the man using the artifact before he hurts anyone else. Can Kyra, without any official agent training, help to solve the case?





	A Mission Gone Awry

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little information on the two OCs that pop up in this oneshot for better understanding:
> 
> Kyra Calidan is the character I created to be the MC of the Astoria universe, specifically for Cerberus' route. Her appearance and personality is quite different from how the canon portrays the MC, but she has the same general goals and such. She's a little more rough and direct than the canon MC, and she's more reckless, too.
> 
> Arianna Cyprin is a demigod I created as a daughter of Aphrodite and a human, and older sister to Alex. She's incredibly protective over her little sibling, though not to the point of being smothering. She has a snow fox aura (not that it shows up in this oneshot) and is typically quite calm and collected, even in battle.

The day started off like any other; the alarm went off, breakfast was made, clothes for work were chosen, and Kyra left her apartment to hit the subway. Walking at a leisurely pace, Kyra reaches the subway with plenty of time to spare, taking a seat on a nearby bench to wait for her ride. She pulls out her phone and earbuds, popping them in to drone out the sound of all the other people around her. She puts her favorite playlist on shuffle, relaxing immediately to the music. When the subway arrives, she hops in one of the cars, lucky enough to get a seat. The ride passes quickly with the aid of her playlist, and by the time Kyra gets off the subway and begins her walk down the street towards her office, one of her favorite songs starts playing.

“So many questions, but I’m talking to myself. I know that you can’t hear me anymore, not anymore...” Kyra sings softly to herself, hands stuffed in the pockets of her jacket. Her gaze is immediately drawn away from her usual route at the obvious signs of a commotion. Pausing her music and taking out her earbuds, she glances across the street, where two guys seem to be in the middle of a fight. It’s not really her business, unless the guys are godly monsters, but there’s no signs of aura or anything. She’s about to continue on her way when there’s suddenly a bright flash of light, so bright she has to cover her eyes against it.

“What’s happening?”  
“What was that light?”  
“It’s the devil! He’s coming for us!”  
“Oh, shut up!”

“Jeez, that was bright.” Kyra murmurs to herself, pulling off her glasses to wipe her watering eyes. She glances back over to where the guys were fighting, only to see that they’re both gone. “Guess the light broke up their fight. Gah, that really hurts…” Dabbing at her eyes again, she replaces her glasses on her face and continues her walk to work. The last thing she wants is to be late because of something silly like that. “Then again… Where did that light even come from?” She pops her earbuds back in, pressing play on her phone. “Maybe I should mention it to Cyprin…”

“Hey! Can anybody hear me?!” Kyra freezes in place when her music cuts out, a male voice replacing it. Warily looking around her, she doesn’t see anyone suspicious, or anyone who looks like they’re trying to get her attention. Thinking that maybe she just hit pause on accident, she restarts her song, continuing her walk forward. “Please, I need help! Hello?” Again, the music is cut off and that same male voice speaks up.

“What the hell..?” Kyra mutters in confusion.

“Oh! Hey, miss! Can you hear me?” The male voice sounds more excited, if not a little hesitant.

“Who’s speaking? Where are you?” Conscious of the fact that she’s literally speaking to a phone, and not in the way one would when calling someone, she ducks to the side and out of people traffic.

“Oh thank god! My name is Lukas, and I have no idea what’s going on! I was just fighting with this asshole who had harassed my girl, when he pulled out some… thing and attacked me. Next thing I know, I swear that I’m walking around inside of a giant cell phone.” The male explains quickly, and Kyra’s brow furrows. She closes out of her music tab and sure enough, a small man is walking around at the base of her homescreen. “Shit!” The male curses in surprise, looking up to see Kyra, who looks really large since he’s so small. “Uh, hello?”

“Artifact… Got to be an artifact.” Kyra sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “And for once I was actually hoping for an easy day of paperwork…” She looks back down at the tiny man. “Lukas, right? Do you have an aura?”

“Aura? Oh, no, I’m not a godly monster. My girl is, though. So is that dude who I was fighting.” Lukas replies, bobbing his head up and down. “Uh… Are you a godly monster?”

“No, I’m not. Look, I promise I’ll help you out. I know someone who might have some idea of what happened to you, but I’ve got to get going or I’ll be late.” She presses the little button on the side of her phone, tucking it back into her pocket, though she leaves her earbud in. Kyra then goes double-time on her trip to her work, clocking in just before the clock changes to read nine. “Just barely made it…”

“Hey bestie!” May’s cheerful voice completely startles Kyra. “Woah, someone hasn’t had their morning coffee. Regular, or large?”

“It’ll have to wait, May. I need to talk to Cyprin. Are they in their office?” Kyra asks hopefully, to which May quirks an eyebrow.

“Uh, yeah. As far as I know they’re not busy. Well, I say busy and I mean in the middle of a conversation with someone.” May shrugs her shoulders. “I’ll have a large coffee with milk waiting on your desk.”

“Thanks bestie.” Kyra responds thankfully, flashing her a quick smile before hurrying towards Cyprin’s office.

“Uh, still have no idea what’s going on. Just putting that out there.” Lukas speaks up from her earbud as she knocks on the door. She hears a familiar voice from inside tell her to come in, and she wraps up her earbuds and tucks them in her pocket before stepping inside.

“Kyra.” Cyprin smiles when they see her, though they quirk an eyebrow at her slightly disheveled appearance. “What can I do for you?”

“Pardon my appearance; I was almost late.” Kyra feels her cheeks warm slightly. She should’ve checked to make sure she was presentable; now she just feels embarrassed. Cyprin is not only her boss, they’re her childhood friend. “I think I witnessed someone misusing an artifact.” Not wanting to stay on the topic of her appearance -lord knows Cyprin could tease her about it for an hour and not get tired of embarrassing her- she decides to get straight to the point. Cyprin raises one immaculate eyebrow in that signature curious look of theirs.

“Please, sit and continue.” They gesture to the chair across from them, and it’s at that point Kyra remembers that she’s still just standing there. Sitting down in the crazy-comfortable chair, she turns to her boss, ready to explain.

“I saw two men fighting this morning. I thought nothing of it because I didn’t see any auras, but then there was this bright light. Next thing I know the two guys are gone.” Kyra quickly explains, watching Cyprin nod once for her to continue. “Again, I thought nothing of it, assuming that they had just stopped fighting, until I heard a voice from my phone.” Knowing she’ll look odd until she proves herself, Kyra unlocks her phone, seeing Lukas still down there at the bottom of her phone. She pulls out her earbuds and turns the phone to face Cyprin. “This is Lukas.”

“Uh, hello. This nice lady said she knew someone who could help me..?” Lukas speaks up, and Kyra watches both of Cyprin’s brows go up in surprise.

“I’m guessing the artifact in question caused the blinding light and did this.” Kyra finishes her tale. “Do you know any that could do such a thing?”

“No. But we can certainly take a look. And if we don’t find anything, I can always ask my mother.” Cyprin nods slowly, regarding Lukas with an intrigued look. “The sooner the better in this case, I believe.” Kyra nods her head in agreement. “Lukas, I’m going to need you to hang tight. We’re going to do everything we can.”

“Alright. I’ll just… chill out down here I guess.” Lukas takes a seat, resting his chin against his palm. Kyra presses the button on the side again and the screen goes dark. She then plugs in her headphones so that if Lukas speaks, he won’t startle anyone around.

“I’ll start my search on the online databases. Why don’t you head downstairs to see if we have any hard copies?” Cyprin suggests, to which Kyra nods. The both of them rise to their feet, sharing one last glance before going their separate ways. When Kyra walks back to her desk, a large cup of coffee is waiting there, just like May promised. She takes a long sip and sighs happily.

“So, you wanna share what that was all about?” May asks from her desk which is literally right across from Kyra’s. The other girl wiggles her eyebrows suggestively, to which Kyra hisses at her.

“I’m on a case, May! I wish you would stop suggesting… those things!” Kyra feels her cheeks grow hot. “I was going to ask you if you wanted to come down to the archives with me, but now I’m reconsidering.”

“Oooh, I’ll come. It’s either that, or deal with paperwork for Hercules.” May says and the two girls both scowl.

“Ew. Come on; let’s get going.” Taking her coffee with her, Kyra and May head to the elevator, pressing the button to take them down to the archives.

Two hours of searching through the archives with May, and another three hours of searching the online databases with Cyprin, and Kyra is still no closer to finding out what kind of artifact could possibly turn Lukas into cyber data, much less drop him off in her phone. She sips from her fourth large coffee, letting out a small sigh. She even thought to ask Lukas for more information on what he remembered about the artifact, but even that didn’t narrow the search much. She’s not sure what else she can do, considering Cyprin already contacted both their mother and sister, and neither of them have yet to respond. Which is totally fair; Aphrodite is very busy up on Olympus taking care of her duties as a goddess, and Arianna is off on an extended case hunting down some escaped godly monster. 

“I hate to say it, but I don’t know what else to do.” Kyra finally voices her concerns, a frown in place upon her lips.

“Why don’t you go out for lunch, drink something that isn’t coffee, and come back fresh?” Cyprin suggests, that little half-smile, half-smirk set upon their lips as they look at the stacking pile of empty coffee containers.

“Only if you promise to do the same.” Kyra shoots back easily, leveling her friend with an unimpressed look. Cyprin looks surprised for a moment before chuckling.

“Alright, how about this. Let’s head out together. That way we know what the other is up to.” Cyprin’s smile softens as Kyra agrees easily, the two cleaning up their respective piles of empty coffee containers -Cyprin has just as many as Kyra does- before they both exit Cyprin’s office. “I’ll drive. You still take the subway, right?”

“Yeah. I find taking the subway is not only cheaper, but actually gets me to work quicker than by car.” Kyra shrugs slightly, grabbing her wallet on the way out. She’s not sure where they’re going for lunch, but either way she’s going to need some cash. “Do you have a preferred place to go for lunch?”

“I was thinking Poseidon's.” Cyprin suggests as they step into the elevator and press the main floor button. Kyra agrees easily, and soon Cyprin is driving the two of them over to the well-known diner. As promised, the two order some actual food, and neither of them touch a cup of coffee.

“Have you heard back from either of them?” Kyra asks as they finish up their meal, fishing money out of her wallet to pay for her portion.

“No. I believe my mother is in a meeting, and Arianna must be busy trying to catch her guy.” Cyprin goes to pull out their card, but instead pulls out cash. They would try to pay for Kyra’s meal, but they know by now that she’s stubborn and won’t accept that, so they’ve stopped trying. “How’s Lukas holding up?” Kyra taps the home button of her phone, revealing a small sleeping figure.

“He fell asleep.” She pockets her phone, and the two of them stand after Cyprin leaves a tip for their waitress. “I just don’t know what we’re going to do. Even with the description Lukas gave us, we still don’t know what artifact could have done this.”

“I’m going to send out a search team. We know who this other guy is, and what he looks like.” Cyprin explains their plan as the two of them head back to their car. “Chances are, if we find him, we’ll find the artifact.” Kyra wants to volunteer to go with the group, but she knows Cyprin would shoot her down real fast. They’re not a fan of her being in danger, especially since she’s just a pencil-pusher, not even a real agent.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Kyra asks hopefully, pushing her glasses back up her nose and into place. Cyprin glances at her while driving, but doesn’t immediately respond. They know how much she wants to be a field agent, but she’s not an agent. She doesn’t have the proper training, and Cyprin doesn’t want her in harm’s way. That’s not just because they don’t want to lose anyone; Kyra is a dear friend and Cyprin would be crushed if anything happened to her.

“I’m sorry, I can’t let you join the team of agents. It’s too-” Cyprin tries to let her down easily, but Kyra stops him, expecting this answer.

“-dangerous, I know.” She sighs, trying hard to hide her disappointment. Cyprin frowns as they drive back to H.E.R.A.

“You know I’m not doing this to be mean, right?” Cyprin softens their voice, gently pressing on the brake as the car slows to a crawl in the heavy afternoon traffic. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you. If you were hurt…” They sigh and focus back on the road, creeping through the traffic. 

“I understand why, Cyprin. I’m just…” Kyra tries to find the right word. “Disappointed, I guess. You know how badly I want to be a field agent.”

“I know, and I want to provide you with chances to prove yourself, but this is still too soon.” Cyprin takes their eyes off the road for just a moment to glance at Kyra. She’s got her cheek pressed against her fist, leaning against the car door with her gaze out on all the traffic. “I promise there will be other chances. Just… when you’ve had more training.” The rest of the car ride back is quiet, but it’s not awkward. It’s more peaceful than anything. When they reach H.E.R.A., Cyprin parks their car, and the two of them step out to head back inside when Cyprin’s phone goes off.

“Who is it?” Kyra asks upon seeing Cyprin’s expression.

“It’s Arianna.” Cyprin holds up a finger before answering the call. “Aria.” Being this close, Kyra can hear the other side of the conversation faintly.

“Hey Alex. I’m sorry I couldn’t get back to you sooner. I’ve been out and about for… thirty six hours now? My phone died on me about six hours back.” Arianna’s silky voice that is so much like Cyprin’s comes from the other end of the line.

“It’s no trouble; I figured you were busy with your case. Did you catch him?” Cyprin questions their older sister.

“Of course. What do you take me for?” Arianna laughs from the other side. “The others and I are headed back now. They’re all so exhausted that I’m sending them home as soon as we return. The paperwork can wait.”

“You should get some rest when you return, too.” Cyprin suggests. “Staying up like that isn’t good for your health.” Kyra really wants to say something along the lines of ‘good advice; why don’t you follow it yourself sometimes?’ but she stays quiet.

“I’ll sleep when the work is done. Besides, it sounds like you and Kyra have a little problem you could use my help on.” Arianna’s voice suddenly changes, making her sound like she’s smirking. “How are things with Kyra, by the way? Have you-”

“Things are fine, and she’s standing right here, Aria.” Cyprin cuts in shortly. Kyra can swear that their cheeks are flushed pink. “Just come home safe and lock that bastard up?”

“Promise.” Arianna laughs before responding. “See you soon, Alex.”

“See you.” Cyprin responds before ending the call. They sigh deeply before pocketing their phone and turning back towards Kyra. “Sorry about that. Arianna likes to joke around and tease, especially when she’s tired.”

“It’s alright. I’m glad her mission went well, even if she hasn’t slept in over twenty four hours.” Kyra begins walking back for the elevator, Cyprin easily falling into step beside her. “Hopefully she’ll have some sort of idea on what this artifact is.”

“Hopefully.” Cyprin agrees with her easily. “In the meantime, why don’t you focus on your usual work. When Arianna gets back, then we can have a nice little chat.”

“Sounds good.” The pair step into the elevator, waiting until they reach the proper floor before exiting. Bidding each other farewell for now, Kyra returns to her desk where May is waiting for her, while Cyprin returns to his office. It feels like a long length of time has passed before Arianna returns home and locks up her escapee, but in reality only a few hours have passed. Kyra has only two hours left of her shift when the beautiful demigod makes her way into their department and over to her desk.

“Hello Kyra.” Arianna flashes her pearly whites, and despite the fact that she hasn’t slept in so long, she doesn’t have any visual marks to show for it. Where people would normally have tired bags under their eyes, her skin is smooth as always. “Are you ready?”

“Ah, yes.” Kyra finishes the last bit of information for one of her papers, setting down her pen before rising to her feet. Despite the fact that the demigod female is only that much older than her, Kyra feels downright short next to her. Arianna leads the way to Cyprin’s office, knocking twice and calling out to them before the two are allowed to enter.

“So, tell me now about this artifact, and show me what it has done.” The moment they’re all seated around a table full of the little information Cyprin and Kyra collected, Arianna gets serious and begins asking questions. Cyprin glances at Kyra, nodding for her to take the lead.

“Well, long story short, there was a flash of light this morning and then this happened.” Kyra pulls out her phone to show Lukas to Arianna. “This is Lukas. He was in a fight with a godly monster with the artifact we think did this. After the flash of light, he ended up in my phone, and the other man got away.” Arianna hums thoughtfully, looking at Lukas, who just kind of awkwardly waves.

“I’ve got a team out on the streets right now looking for the man with the artifact.” Cyprin speaks at that moment, filling their sister in on the details.

“Lukas, can you describe the artifact for me as clearly as possible?” Arianna requests of the shrunken man, who nods.

“It was a cube. The whole thing was this blue color, and there were various green and gold symbols on it. I have no idea what they were, though.” Lukas tells her the same thing he told Kyra and Cyprin. But her reaction is different. Her shoulders stiffen as she grabs a piece of paper and a pencil, quickly sketching. “Hey, yeah, that’s exactly what the symbols looked like!” Lukas exclaims in surprise when Arianna shows him her sketch.

“Aria, what’s wrong?” Cyprin questions the look on their sister’s face.

“Get your team out of there.” Her voice is quiet at first, but then it sharpens and grows louder. “Alex, get them out!” Cyprin jumps, grabbing their phone off the desk to call up the team leader.

“I’m not going through…” Cyprin frowns, glancing back at their sister.

“We’re going. Kyra, I’m going to need you to drive. Are you okay with that?” Arianna jumps to her feet, followed by the other female.

“Uh, yeah, whatever you need!” Kyra is surprised by Arianna’s attitude, the older girl ushering her and Cyprin out of the office. “Are you telling me you know the artifact that did this?” She pockets her phone, keeping Lukas close.

“Yeah, I came across it many years back, when I was just starting out as a field agent.” Arianna explains as they walk, taking the stairs two at a time and forgoing the elevator completely. They dash to one of the black SUVs that H.E.R.A. owns, and Kyra quickly gets behind the wheel while Arianna takes shotgun, leaving Cyprin to hop in the back. “Back then, the guy were were hunting down had stolen the artifact from our client, who had been keeping it a secret for the safety of the people… Turn right at that light.”

“Got it.” Kyra shifts into the right hand lane, wondering how the demigod knows where she’s going. But one glance to the side shows she’s tracking the team Cyprin sent out.

“But when our team cornered him, he unleashed the artifact’s power on the front lines. They all vanished in a bright flash of light, just like you described.” Arianna glances back at her sibling. “You remember that case, don’t you? You were little, but I know Mother and I talked quite a bit about it after the fact.”

“I remember.” Cyprin nods, leaning forwards. “Take another right at that intersection, Kyra.”

“They had all been reduced to cyber data. Some of them we lost entirely; we didn’t know where they had gone. Others we lost later, as we couldn’t figure out how to get to them before they starved. But we eventually solved it. That cube is the key to setting Lukas free. And if the guy who has the artifact uses it against your squad, Alex, I just pray we can locate them all.”

“I’ll try reaching them again.” Cyprin leans back in their seat, using their phone in an attempt to contact the group of field agents.

“So, if you captured this artifact before, how did this guy get his hands on it?” Kyra asks as she drives, still following the instructions the two demigods give her.

“Well, we didn’t exactly lock it up. The person who owned it insisted we put it back in his care. I haven’t heard about him or the cube since then.” Arianna frowns. “That was our first mistake. This time, we’ll make sure it gets locked up with all the other dangerous artifacts.” Kyra makes her last turn before pulling the car to a stop where Cyprin directs her to. “Just stay with the car. Alex and I will be out soon. If anything suspicious happens, call for backup.” Arianna instructs the human girl as she climbs out of the car.

“Please just be careful.” Cyprin says softly to their friend before following their sister. Kyra shuts off the car, leaning back in her seat and watching the two demigods enter the unmarked building. She watches the clock on her phone tick by the time; five minutes, fifteen minutes, thirty minutes…

“They’re taking too long…” Kyra murmurs to herself. “Maybe I should call backup? But nothing ‘suspicious’ has actually happened.” She feels conflicted. On one hand, Cyprin and Arianna might just be having trouble actually finding and taking down the guy. On the other hand, something bad could’ve happened to them. Just when Kyra is seriously considering calling for backup, the door the two demigods entered through is flung open, and a man comes running out. In one hand is a gun, which looks locked and fully loaded. In his other hand is a blue cube with green runes. Kyra quickly flips out her phone. “Lukas, is this the guy-”

“That’s him! That’s the artifact, too!” Lukas quickly assures her.

“Alright, hang tight.” Kyra props her phone up somewhere where Lukas can see everything. “If something bad happens, this way you can tell Cyprin and Arianna everything.”

“Woah, wait, what are you gonna do?!” Lukas exclaims, watching the guy with the artifact slam the door shut and attempt to bar it behind him.

“I’m going to keep him distracted until Cyprin or Arianna can get here.” Kyra opens the glove box and sighs in relief when she sees a gun in there. She’s had a little bit of training on pistols, so at least she knows how this works. Now she just prays she can keep up the act. Ignoring any of Lucas’ protests, Kyra leaps out of the car with the gun raised, safety off. “Freeze right there!”

“Ah shit, another fucking agent?!” The man growls in annoyance, glancing at the cube. “This fucking thing is already at its limit… Taking care of those demigod brats sucked out all its juice. Guess I’ll have to take care of you the old fashioned way.” He raises his gun in his dominant hand, using the other to stow the cube away in his pocket.

“Stand down. I have a team of agents on the way here. If you don’t want things to get messy, then put the gun down and hand over the artifact.” Kyra thinks back to all the times she’s seen Arianna dealing with scumbags and godly monsters alike. She tries to mimic the beautiful demigod’s form, straightening her back and holding her gun securely in her hands. She schools her facial expression into a cold mask like the one she’s seen Cyprin use before.

“Hmm… No.” The man quickly begins firing off shots, and Kyra ducks behind the open car door before peering out to pop off a few shots herself. She hisses when she feels a sharp pain in her arm. Looking down, it appears a bullet grazed her arm, and blood is quickly seeping through her jacket. “Shit. Out of bullets.” Kyra frowns when she realizes she’s in the same situation as her opponent. Tossing her gun onto the driver’s seat, she peers around the open car door, seeing the guy squaring off against her.

“There’s still time to stand down.” Kyra speaks confidently despite the growing pain in her arm. There’s blood on the ground now from where it has dripped, and it doesn’t feel like the bleeding is going to stop anytime soon.

“I’m still gonna decline that offer.” The man shrugs before charging. Kyra ducks under his fist, sidestepping to try and gain some distance. She’s lucky her non-dominant arm is the one bleeding; it makes socking this guy in the jaw so much easier. “Fuck!” The man whips around and punches her in the face right back. Kyra stumbles from the force of the blow, and the man takes his opportunity to push her to the ground. She lets out a cry of pain as she lands on her bad arm, blood quickly oozing onto the ground. There’s barely enough time to deflect his first blow as he kneels above her, but he soon wrestles her so that he’s straddling her waist, and his next fist connects with her face again, shattering her glasses as they fly off her face.

“G-Get off!” Kyra slaps the guy on the side of his neck, hitting his carotid artery. He goes limp for all of ten seconds, which is just enough time for Kyra to stumble to her feet.

“You’re gonna regret that, girl.” The man growls as he rises to his feet. He lunges forward, and Kyra doges his first hit. But when she tries to land a blow of her own, he counters it, grabbing her right on her bullet wound. She screams in pain, helpless as he drags her forward and past the car. “I thought you said you had backup coming.”

“I do…” Kyra grits her teeth, feeling the blood dripping down to the concrete as the man pulls her further away from the building. “And you’re going to be sorry you didn’t surrender.”

“Tough talk coming from a girl who’s obviously not an actual agent. You don’t even have proper training with a gun.” Ducking into the nearest alley, the man slams her up against the wall. “Come to think of it, there’s no reason why I need you; alive, or at all.” Kyra is about to offer up some excuse when the man’s hands leave her wound and enclose around her throat. With the way his arms and shoulders are placed, she doesn’t have a good shot at his neck, so she can’t try that same move from before. And his strength is so much greater than hers; she’ll have no chance to try and break free. The oxygen in her brain is running out, leaving her with very few options that make any sense to her. 

“The… artifact…” She just manages to choke out as the idea hits her. Running with the only legible thought in her starving brain, she grasps at the man’s jacket, pulling the cube out from his pocket. She then quickly slams it against his head with all her force, hitting him right in the temple and knocking him out cold. He hits the ground like a sack of bricks, and as she gasps in air, Kyra slides down the wall behind her, ending up on her side. It’s only at this point she notices blood dripping down the side of her face from where she was punched in the face; that hit completely split her eyebrow open. “Damn… Cyprin is… gonna be so mad.” Kyra feels like she could pass out, but she pulls the cube closer to her, running her fingers over the symbols. One in particular is standing out to her, and when her thumb brushes over it, the whole cube lights up. The light is that same blinding bright light from before, but when it dims down, the green of the symbols has faded and nothing else has changed. It’s at that point Kyra feels herself slip away into unconsciousness.

“KYRA!” The sound that brings Kyra out of her unconscious state is a very familiar voice calling her name. Her throat is so sore, and her arm stings badly, and her body feels kind of cold. She tries to open her eyes, but she can’t. “Kyra! Oh, gods, Kyra!” Rapid footsteps approach her, and soon she feels an electrifyingly warm hand on her cheek.

“Cyprin…” Kyra murmurs their name, barely able to choke it out through the painful feeling in her throat.

“Look at me. Kyra, open your eyes and look at me.” Cyprin’s voice sounds worried, two of their fingers pressing against her throat to check her pulse. She tries again to open her eyes, but her eyelids are just too heavy. “Kyra!”

“I-I can’t…” She tries to move her head, or her arms, or anything, but her body just feels cold and numb. “My… arm.”

“Shit.” Cyprin curses, pressing their hand firmly on the wound that is steadily leaking blood. This causes her eyes to snap open as she lets out a half assed scream. “I’m sorry.” Now she can the amount of worry written into Cyprin’s delicate features. “I’m sorry. I never should’ve let you come with us.”

“Hey.” Sucking in a breath, Kyra manages to gain some control over her body, moving her dominant hand to grasp their wrist. “Don’t.”

“I know you’re not a field agent, and I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.” Cyprin continues on anyway, lifting her up into their arms to hold her close. “You still need more training.

“Cyprin.” Kyra stresses their name, forcing her injured throat to form proper words. “Stop that. I’m alright.”

“Like hell you are. You were shot in the arm, your eyebrow has been split open, and you were nearly strangled.” Cyprin’s features turn almost angry. “It’s my job to protect you, and I failed.”

“But I will be alright. And I took him down. Isn’t that what matters?” Kyra frowns as she finally notices the way her friend is carrying her. “Cyprin… I’m going to ruin your suit…”

“My suit can be replaced. You can’t.” They answer shortly, holding her a little tighter. “Just stay with me, okay? We already have medics arriving on scene.”

“Okay.” Kyra finally gives in, resting her head against their chest. “I’m sorry. I know what I did was stupid. I just… I wanted to prove that I could handle being out on the field. I didn’t want to let him get away.”

“I know.” Cyprin’s voice softens too as they carry her back to where they parked the car. “Gods, I know, Kyra. You want to prove yourself. But can you please just try being careful? I don’t want to lose you…”

“I’m sorry.” Kyra replies again, closing her eyes. She doesn’t want to see that expression on Cyprin’s face right now. “I promise I’ll be more careful.” Cyprin sighs, and the two don’t say any more than that.

“Alex! Good, you found her.” Arianna’s voice becomes audible when they finally reach the proper location. “Medic!” Kyra opens her eyes again as Cyprin sets her down in the back of the SUV. A male in a uniform with a red band bearing a cross tied around his arm steps in front of her.

“Look at me?” He waves a small light in front of her eyes. “No concussion. That’s good.” He presses some cloth up against her wound on her eyebrow. “And this’ll only take a few stitches; it’s an even split. Hold that?” Kyra brings her free hand up to hold the cloth to her eyebrow. The medic helps her take her jacket off her bad arm, inspecting the wound. “Just a graze, but a pretty deep one. Definitely going to need stitches. You’ve lost a lot of blood, but you’re going to be alright. How do you feel?”

“Cold? My fingertips are a little numb.” Kyra tells him the truth, noticing that Cyprin is hovering over the side, watching the two of them.

“Consistent with blood loss. I’ll grab you a blanket.” The medic looks over his shoulder and sees Cyprin standing there. “Ah, Cyprin, would you keep pressure on this gunshot wound?” Cyprin steps forward immediately, taking the medic’s place to keep gentle pressure on Kyra’s arm. He then walks off to find a blanket for her.

“What happened in there?” Kyra asks after a moment of silence.

“It was a trap. He had already taken care of our agents by the time Arianna and I got there.” Cyprin explains softly. “He used the artifact on us, though I think it took up all its power to properly work against Arianna and I. Then he was just gone. I’m not sure where we ended up, but all of a sudden we were back in the building, along with all our missing agents. Arianna said that someone must’ve deactivated the cube, and I guess that was you.”

“Oh.” Kyra blinks in surprise. So that’s what that bright flash of light was.

“Despite everything… you did good work, Kyra.” Cyprin smiles a little proudly. “And I promise you that you’ll have better chances to test your abilities once you’ve had more training.”

“Thanks…” Kyra smiles shyly, averting her gaze. She feels a little woozy all of a sudden, needing Cyprin to steady her. “Sorry, I just feel really dizzy…”

“You’re going to need rest after this. Which means you’re taking a break from work.” Cyprin continues almost immediately when they notice Kyra start to frown. “No arguments. You’re taking at least a week off.”

“There’s no persuading you, is there?” Kyra asks stubbornly, to which Cyprin just flashes an innocent grin. “Alright, I suppose just this one time, I’ll give in.”

“Good. Take your time to recover. Because of you, this case is closed. You even rescued Lucas. You deserve a break.” Cyprin smiles honestly, watching as the medic comes back with supplies. He wraps the blanket around her shoulders, asking Cyprin to step aside so he can check the wound. 

“I’m going to stitch these up for you, okay? It’s going to hurt; I don’t have anesthetics on me right now.” The medic warns her, and Kyra just nods. She’s surprised when Cyprin takes her free hand that is no longer holding the bandage on her head.

“Feel free to squeeze if it hurts.” Cyprin’s expression is soft, and Kyra finds herself getting lost in her friend’s wine-colored eyes as the medic begins his stitching. As promised, it hurts, and Kyra squeezes Cyprin’s hand with an unpleasant expression. But looking at them calms her down, to the point where she barely notices the medic finish his work.

“Good job! We’ll stitch up your forehead once we get back to H.E.R.A.” The medic wraps some bandages around her arm. “In the meantime, sit tight. Feel free to get some sleep.” He then wanders off to help Lucas and some of the other agents. Kyra pulls the blanket closer around her shoulders.

“Let’s get you to the backseat.” Cyprin suggests, helping her up and steadying her when she stumbles. They help her into the back row of the car, jumping in to sit beside her. “Try and get some sleep, okay? I’ll wake you when we get back.”

“Alright.” Kyra gives in easily. She closes her eyes and rests her head back against the seat. After a few moments, the stress and pain of the day make her drowsy. Her head slides to gently rest against Cyprin’s shoulder, and as she falls asleep, they don’t have the heart to move her. Instead, they reach up a hand to brush her bangs out of her face; her bun had come loose at some point, leaving her hair down and messy.

“Sleep well, Kyra…” Cyprin mumbles, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, safe to do so because of the tinted windows of the SUV.


End file.
